A Crisis in Plain Sight: Forging a New Strategy Against…
A Crisis in Plain Sight Human trafficking is a devastating crisis across Southern Africa, with Zimbabwe at its epicentre. This…
A Landmark Victory: Kenya’s Court Backs Transgender People’s Rights
The Background: Trans Rights Under Pressure in Kenya Transgender People all over the world face discrimination, violence and harassment daily,…
Constitutionalisation of Political Parties and the State of Democracy in…
Introduction According to the 2024 Afrobarometer survey “Democracy at Risk – The People’s Perspective”, Africans continue to overwhelmingly reject one-party…
Digital Rights and State Surveillance in Africa: Balancing Security and…
Introduction In Africa, governments are rapidly expanding their digital surveillance capabilities, investing in advanced technologies such as spyware, biometric databases,…
Procedural Justice through Litigation: Addressing Power Imbalances in Energy Justice…
Introduction Some time ago, I took a close look at the concept of Energy Justice. In my article , I…
Symbols Without Substance? Interrogating the Potential of the African Union…
Prelude to the AUCEVAWG UN Women reports that in 2023, approximately 51,100 women and girls worldwide were murdered by an…
- A Crisis in Plain Sight: Forging a New Strategy Against Human Trafficking in Southern Africa’A Crisis in Plain Sight Human trafficking is a devastating crisis across Southern Africa, with Zimbabwe at its epicentre. This modern slavery thrives where poverty, gender inequality, and weak governance create fertile ground for predators. The SADC region is a complex hub for this crime, acting as a source, transit route, and destination for victims.…
- A Landmark Victory: Kenya’s Court Backs Transgender People’s RightsThe Background: Trans Rights Under Pressure in Kenya Transgender People all over the world face discrimination, violence and harassment daily, just as they do in Kenya. The existing laws and institutions in the Republic are based on the view of the “binary gender dichotomy”[1], which leads to prejudice and violence against trans individuals and their…
- Constitutionalisation of Political Parties and the State of Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Key Findings of a New Comparative StudyIntroduction According to the 2024 Afrobarometer survey “Democracy at Risk – The People’s Perspective”, Africans continue to overwhelmingly reject one-party rule and prefer democracy to any other form of government. At the same time, less than half of Africans believe their countries are democratic, and only slightly more than one-third of them are satisfied with…
- How African countries are managing the potentially catastrophic risks of just transition through the investment regimeIntroduction Foreign investment has long been an important policy tool for countries seeking to transform their economies. The international investment regime—comprising treaties and institutions—has supported this objective by creating policies to attract and protect investment. For developing countries, foreign investment plays a particularly crucial role in alleviating poverty, generating employment opportunities, and fostering economic…
- Branching Scenario ToolEnvironmental Law and Climate Justice: Case Study on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Introduction Welcome to the Branching Scenarios Tool “Environmental Law and Climate Justice: Case Study on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline”! This digital tool was developed as part of a seminar held by the Chair of African Legal Studies at the…
- Environmental Impact Assessment in Rwanda: Legal Framework and ChallengesIntroduction Environmental impact assessments are essential processes used to evaluate the potential effects of a proposed project on the environment before implementation. In Africa, their integration into national legislation varies significantly, but most countries recognize their importance for sustainable development. Rwanda’s environmental law, Article 6, states that “The principle of information dissemination and incentives for…
- Investment and Investor Protection in SomaliaIntroduction With Somalia’s accession to the East African Community (EAC), the internal market of this community is also becoming increasingly attractive for foreign investments. A common market with over 300 million populations is developing, and there is not only a common internal market. It also has an excellent strategic location from the Indian Ocean to…
- The East African Community: Past Experiences and Lessons for the FutureIntroduction The East Africa Community (EAC) is one of the oldest regional economic blocs in the world.[1] Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, as members of EAC, had a customs union as early as 1927.[2] While this regional bloc collapsed in 1977, it was re-established in 2000 and grew from three to eight countries, including Uganda, Kenya,…
- The Legal Analysis of Community Rights in Environment Decision-Making in the Federal Republic of SomaliaIntroduction People often feel hopeless and powerless to protect the environment, themselves, their families and their individual rights. However, through the creative use of the law, a number of notable successes for the environment and people have been recorded in many countries.[1] Environmental decision-making in Somalia stands at the intersection of legal, social, and environmental considerations, with…
- How African countries are managing the potentially catastrophic risks of just transition through the investment regimeIntroduction Foreign investment has long been an important policy tool for countries seeking to transform their economies. The international investment regime—comprising treaties and institutions—has supported this objective by creating policies to attract and protect investment. For developing countries, foreign investment plays a particularly crucial role in alleviating poverty, generating employment opportunities, and fostering economic…
- The Fate of the SADC Tribunal After Zimbabwe’s Recent Move to Compensate the FTLRP Affected White FarmersIntroduction On 12 February 2025, the Finance Minister of Zimbabwe announced that the government of Zimbabwe intends to compensate 94 former farmers who were affected by the ‘Fast Track Land Reform Programme’ (FTLRP). Such farmers include the nationals of the United Kingdom (UK), Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the former Yugoslavia. [1] This is…
- A Court Left Behind: How Parallel DRMs are Undermining Regional Integration in the EACThe EACJ in the Shadows of Integration The process of regional integration presents a range of challenges and contentious issues. Those include, matters related to elimination of customs duties and Non-tariff barriers (NTBs), tariffs and other Charges Having Equivalent Effects (CHEEs), Quantitative restrictions or measures having an equivalent effect to quantitative restrictions (MEQRs), among others.…